Al Vogel, a public affairs specialist for the installation, would only say that the lockdown began at 5:24 p.m. Employees were not allowed to leave, and those coming to work were not allowed in. Vogel said there were no injuries, no damage and no threats reported at the proving ground. There were about 1,200 to 1,400 people at Dugway when the lockdown occurred.

EUTimes.net has a comprehensive list of the recent mass animal deaths around the world. There’s more to the story than just the bird deaths in Louisiana and Arkansas that got everyone’s attention for a few days. Explanations range from fireworks to swamp gas, with the scientific consensus being that it’s nothing to worry about, go on about your business, nothing to see here. And if you don’t believe that, maybe Professor Nilüfer Aytuğ can sway you:

“People have started to question whether the bird deaths en masse worldwide are indicators of some imminent disaster. I see a huge amount of groundless speculation about the deaths on the Internet. However, it isn’t right to discuss an issue without sound information. I suppose the Internet has become more dangerous this way. Rumors on the Internet can make an issue more serious than it is,” Aytuğ noted.